BEDFORD — A Bedford man is facing felony charges of domestic battery and neglect of a dependent after a child was allegedly severely bruised while in his care. The incident, which took place on July 31, 2025, came to light when the child’s other grandparents noticed the bruising.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Lawrence County Police Department Detective Andrea Tedrow, officers were called to a residence on Sowders Road on August 2, 2025, to assist the Department of Child Services (DCS) with a child abuse investigation. DCS case managers and Sergeant Robin Compton interviewed a 6-year-old child who stated his “Pop-Pop” had hit him with a piece of wood. The child said he was hit because he got into trouble at school for fighting. When asked if he had told his grandfather to stop, the child said he did, but the man continued to hit him.
A search of the home where the incident occurred, which was at the man’s farm, uncovered a board painted blue in the back of a Razor, or side-by-side vehicle. When confronted, the man, identified as Mark O. Thomas, 63, initially stated he “paddled” the child with a piece of pine. He claimed he had no idea the child was bruised and that he’s “never bruised a child in his life”. However, he later told Sergeant Compton that the bruising was on the child’s buttocks and upper thigh, and “that’s where he paddled him”.
The affidavit notes that in a previous incident, approximately three months ago, the child was reportedly “paddled” by Thomas, an action the child’s mother was not okay with. On that occasion, the child’s mother was texted about bruises on his legs. A wooden slotted spatula, which a relative said Thomas had also used for spankings, was collected as evidence from the home.
A warrant has been requested for Thomas’s arrest on felony charges of domestic battery with bodily injury and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury. He was detained on Monday, September 15.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
